Arizona Badlands Rally
(The Rides)
This part of Arizona has a tremendous list of things to do and see. If you want to really see the back roads of Arizona there is a fantastic guide book available which showcases many of the "Arizona Adventure Roads" its called "Dakar Dags" adventure book. Click here for the link, and Dakar Dag will be sure to get a book to you before the rally starts.
First the riding: There is a LOT of great riding in this area,
Ride #1: "Explore the ranch"
Andy & StephanieSmallhouse the owners of the Carlink ranch have graciously opened the ranch for riding, as long as you stick to the roads and trails & you don't chase the cows" The Carlink is a big spread, and Andy and his wife will have maps that you can use to explore the ranch. Please take note if you see anything "wrong" around the ranch and let Andy know about it. The ranch is so big that sometimes months go by with out their seeing all the fencelines and trails. So if you see anything that needs attention please let them know about it.
Ride #2: "Tombstone"
If you are interested in history and would like to capture the lore of the west, try this. We call this the Cowboys and Indians loop. Take the "dirt road" south to Benson, cross under interstate 10 and head for Cochise's stronghold in the Dragoon mountains. It's well indicated on the maps, and this is the area that Cochise (an Apache chief, and warrior) used as their base to harass the "long knives" or U. S Calvary. Cochise successfully used these rugged mountains to evade the Calvary for years. After appreciating how difficult life must have been for both Calvary and Indian brave, we head for Tombstone.
Tombstone is less than a half hour away. Step back in time to the bawdy 1880's, have a drink at "Big Nose Kate's saloon" Check out the OK corral, and see where the most famous cowboy shoot out in history occurred. It's a little touristy, but well worth the visit. Here is a website to check out. http://tombstoneweb.com/history.html
Ride #3: "The Best of Tucson Loop"
Next, depending on how you rode into the rally, You can take the Redington road to Tucson. Head west over the mountains through some incredible Saguaro Cactus forests to Tucson. We have a GPS track posted on Iron Horse BMW's website to take you back to Tucson. Then a loop ride over Mount Lemon (up to 8500 feet) take warm clothes, and back to camp through San Manuel and along the river.
Side trip: If you take the "Best of Tucson Loop" and would like to take a fascinating tour, stop off at Biosphere 2 ! This is an incredible attempt to re-create the earths atmosphere and geology inside a man made structure. Its really amazing, and its well worth the visit. Truly Awesome!
There are lots and lots of other things to do in the area, keep an eye on this page as we will post several more things to do in the next few weeks.
